The Orissa government, inspired by the record foodgrain production last year, has set an ambitious rice production target of 80 lakh tonne for the 2008 kharif season. The state produced 76 lakh tonne during 2007.
The government has already launched the kharif campaign to achieve the target.
“As rice occupies 70% of cropped area in the kharfi season and accounts for over 90% of foodgrain production, the government will encourage farmers to adopt location specific and high yielding varieties of paddy, which can resist pest and abiotic stress,” state chief secretary and chief development commissioner Ajit Kumar Tripathy said at the launch of the campaign.
Tripathy asked all district collectors to follow crop-specific production strategies developed by the agriculture department. He also directed them to ensure adequate and timely supply of certified seeds to farmers.
The state agriculture department, meanwhile, has intensified its drive to increase the seed replacement rate (SRR). Another important feature of the kharif strategy is to increase the use of organic manure and chemical fertilisers. In case of chemical fertiliser, care will be taken to ensure its balanced use based on soil test results.
Fertiliser consumption in Orissa, considered to be one of the lowest in the country, has increased from 47 kg per hectre in 2006 to 52 kg per hectare in 2007. Fertiliser requirement for the current kharif season has been estimated at 4.70 lakh tonne as against actual consumption of 3.16 lakh tonne last year. The areas needed special attentions to achieve higher productivity are integrated pest, soil and water management. The campaign also emphasises on crop diversification.
“Collectors have been instructed to instill confidence in farmers so that they shift from traditional paddy cultivation to more remunerative non-paddy crops”, the chief secretary said. “Farmers should be encouraged to opt for mixed crops in rainfed areas to overcome possible crop failure due to weather aberrations”.